Articles tagged “europe”

The river cruise experience is supposed to be all about personalized service. So why do river cruise lines bury information about itinerary and sailing changes where their future passengers can't find it?

Over the long term, the new limited rate-parity rules in Europe could help hotels generate more bookings from their own direct channels, including over the phone. However, don't write off the online travel agencies just yet. They still hold a lot of the cards.

Released April 2015: Welcome to the Europe installment of Skift’s annual State of Travel report, a series focusing on individual major global industry regions.

HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples doesn't underestimate Booking.com as a competitor but the reality is that Booking.com isn't the most formidable rival in vacation rentals when you consider the market country by country.

In the 1928 U.S. presidential campaign, the Republicans argued that a victory for Hoover would mean "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." Likewise, Uber's campaign to woo European cities promises a chicken in every pot and a lot fewer cars and garages.

By pooling resources, the national DMOs can build on each others' strengths and expand Europe's exposure for corporate travelers and meeting attendees beyond the traditional first-tier countries.

Booking.com likely faced penalties and findings that it infringed on competition laws if it hadn't come to terms with regulatory authorities in France, Italy and Sweden. This agreement appears to disadvantage Booking.com versus its competitors -- unless authorities compel them to sign similar pacts.

The data suggests that European destinations need to not only focus on other regions, but also their neighbors as competition for tourists and their dollars continues to rise.

Travel Leaders Group may see an opening to acquire some travel agencies in Europe to fuel its growth while American Express Business Travel figures out how a proposed joint venture with a private equity group is going to work.

For being one of the biggest source markets of travelers for the rest of the world, Europe still has a long way to go to build up travel startups into larger, long-lasting and successful companies. The biggest successes may end up coming out of Russia rather than the rest of Europe.